Manavi was originally formed by six South Asian women: Shamita Das Dasgupta, Radha Sarma Hegde, Shashi Jain, Rashmi Jaipal, Vibha Jha, and Kavery Dutta, as a consciousness raising group interested in addressing concerns faced by South Asian women in the U.S.
In a short period of time, this New Jersey–based organization expanded its goals in response to requests from the community to begin providing services to women facing violence and abuse.
Founded in 1985, Manavi (meaning 'primal woman' in Sanskrit) was the first organization in the U.S to specifically address the needs of South Asian women, who are victims of violence.
Although started as a consciousness-raising group, Manavi's founders soon realized that South Asian women facing abuse were unable to seek help from local authorities and mainstream organizations for variety of reasons.
In short, Manavi simultaneously addresses both the immediate needs of women facing abuse and the long-term vision of establishing peaceful communities free from gender-based violence.